Recruit Lost 100 Pounds to Join U.S. Army
Belleville News-Democrat | Dec 27, 2014 | by Maureen Houston
BELLEVILLE, Ill. — Alex Rodgers wanted to join the U.S. Army so much that he lost 100 pounds to get in.
“Even when I was a kid, I wanted to be in the military,” said Alex, a 2011 Belleville West grad. “Both parents were military. That’s how they met.”
Alex, a history buff who likes politics and recently got engaged, puts a lot of thought into his future.
“(Going into the military) has a lot of benefits, especially right now,” said Alex, who had been attending SIU Carbondale. “I ran out of money for school. There are education benefits and travel. I’d like to see some of the world. Mostly, it’s one of those things you feel you should do. I feel everyone should do their part to serve in some way. My parents were the real motivation. None of my friends were surprised.”
Alex joined ROTC in August 2012 when he was a college sophomore.
“My roommate told me about it. I talked to the lieutenant colonel (Eric Roberts) who ran it.”
At the time, 5-foot-6 Alex weighed 289. He wore size 2XL shirts and had a 42-inch waist.
“The (lieutenant colonel) said, ‘We don’t usually let people your size in,’ but he saw my determination and thought I would achieve my goals. He was very supportive. ... For the first year, he was there, he always gave me tips and encouraged me. We are friends on Facebook now. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have gotten where I am now.”
Alex signed a contract to lose weight. That’s when the real fun started. Up at 6 a.m. Push-ups, sit-ups, and running — a lot of running.
“By far, I was one of the bigger people. It’s difficult when you weigh close to 300. Even then, naysayers said, ‘He’s going to wash out.’”
They didn’t know how determined Alex was.
“It was something I wanted to do, so I did it,” he said. “A lot of that is mental. Usually, your own worst enemy is yourself. They gave me guidelines. It was kind of what they always tell you: portion control, vegetables, lean meat. In the end, it boils down to how many calories you take in and how many you burn.”
Mom Barb noticed changes in her son before he did.
“She said, ‘You look a lot different.”
He felt different, too. More energized, not as tired.
Halfway through his weight-loss adventure, he met Megan Powers, the girl he plans to marry.
“I was 240 or so. I told her, ‘There used to be much more of me.’”
Alex, 22, now weighs 183 and has a body mass index of 24. His 34-inch pants are big on him. The Army maximum weight for his height is 163, but he got in because is body mass index is 24; the Army max is 26.
“Not everybody is the same build,” said the handsome, dark-haired soldier-to-be. “I am a broad-shouldered person. I would like to get to the 170s.”
He traded his favorite food, pizza, for protein shakes. He sometimes has a shake for lunch instead of solid foods.
“They’re actually pretty good. I eat a lot of eggs, chicken, fruits and vegetables.”
He runs and works out regularly.
“The minimum (Army) requirement is to run two miles in 16.36 minutes,” he said. “I don’t think I am quite there yet. The first time, when I ran in the 280s, it took me 32 minutes to do it. I was the last one by far to finish. People even ran back to run the last of the way with me.”
Alex grew up reading and playing video games instead of playing outside.
“He was never a real active child,” said mom Barb. “He grew up in the video game generation, and he took a book wherever he went. ... He didn’t eat more than any other child. He did like pizza. At about age 12, he went to Camp Jump Start (a weight camp that involved nutrition classes and a lot of outdoor activities.) He lost 20 pounds in a month.”
But gained that weight and more in high school.
“Now, people I used to work with at Schnucks and teachers I’ve seen are surprised. ‘Where did you go?’ ‘There’s a lot less of you now.’”
Alex visited a recruiter in July to see how close he was to getting in. He didn’t pass the body fat index the first time, but two weeks later, he did.
“I had never seen such a big smile on his face,” said Barb, “as the day he came home from the recruiting office in Fairview Heights to say, ‘Mom, I did it.’ This is what he always wanted to do.”
Two days later, he was sworn in and choosing his career. As a combat engineer, he’ll learn construction and demolition skills. He heads to Fort Leonard Wood for nine weeks of basic training and four or five weeks of job specific training.
“Once I started ROTC, that was the plan, to commission as an officer. Mom likes to say I was born to wear the uniform. If it wasn’t for the Army, I wouldn’t exist.”
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/12/27/recruit-lost-100-pounds-to-join-us-army.html?comp=700001075741&rank=1
